Jerry Bruckheimer

Jerry Bruckheimer ranked among the most powerful and influential film producers of the '80s and '90s. His films often include big-budget, action-packed and over-the-top productions, many of which end up becoming massive blockbuster hits. Though he had been producing films since the '70s, he didn't hit his stride until he founded Simpson/Bruckheimer Productions with Don Simpson in 1982. He then went on to produce smash hits of the '80s such as Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, and Top Gun. More wildly successful projects would follow, including The Rock, Armageddon, Remember the Titans, the Pirates of the Caribbean films, and Transformers.

Bruckheimer also successfully tried his hand at television, producing TV shows like The Amazing Race, a reality show that earned him four Emmy Awards, and the CSI franchise, which consistently reached number one in the Nielsen ratings.

• Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

• September 21, 1945: Born in Detroit, Michigan

• 1972: Culpepper Cattle Company

• 1983: Flashdance

• 1984: Beverly Hills Cop

• 1986: Top Gun

• 1995: Bad Boys

• 1996: The Rock

• 1996: Bruckheimer cuts ties with partner Don Simpson, who dies a month later

• 1997: Soldier of Fortune, Inc.

• 1998: Armageddon

• 2000: Gone in Sixty Seconds

• 2000: Remember the Titans

• 2000: CSI

• 2001: Pearl Harbor

• 2003: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

• 2003: Partners with Walt Disney Studios to turn Pirates of the Caribbean ride into a film series

• 2004: National Treasure

• 2006: Deja Vu

• 2007: National Treasure: Book of Secrets